Re: Cautionary note about Ferritin....

[Guest guest]

How did you know you were anemic?

Claudene

>

> this discussion of ferritin has been very interesting. i notice way

> back to 1993 i was anemic on my blood tests. the doctors always said

> it was no big deal and many women have it. i wonder if this is true or

> whether being anemic for years and years tore my health down.

>

[Guest guest]

How did you know you were anemic?

Claudene

>

> this discussion of ferritin has been very interesting. i notice way

> back to 1993 i was anemic on my blood tests. the doctors always said

> it was no big deal and many women have it. i wonder if this is true or

> whether being anemic for years and years tore my health down.

>

[Guest guest]

Birrdyy's right. The Iron Panel should include serum iron and TIBC at the very least. With those numbers, you can calculate the iron saturation if the panel doesn't come with iron saturation. UIBC is sometimes helpful as well.

~Rainbow~

29 year old Female 5'6 " 130lbs

Dx: Hashi's, AF, Wheat Sensitivity

Rx/OTC: Cynomel 43.75mcg, HC 30mg, Potassium Cl 20meq, Sea Salt 1.75tsp

My Log: http://tinyurl.com/pvgjmb

My Blog: http://hyporainbow.wordpress.com--- In RT3_T3 , birrdyy wrote:

>

> I would get a CBC, Iron Panel and repeat Ferritan.

> > On Wed, Sep 9, 2009 at 6:02 PM, claudenehensler

> wrote:

> > > what are the exact names of the tests I need to ask for from the doctor to

> > see my entire iron profile?

It easily could have been from the supplementation or a lab error, so I'd definitely retest. Also, if you take a multivitamin, you'll need to stop that several days before the test as well, as those almost always contain iron. Good luck!

~Rainbow~

29 year old Female 5'6 " 130lbs

Dx: Hashi's, AF, Wheat Sensitivity

Rx/OTC: Cynomel 37.5mcg, HC 27.5mg, Potassium Cl 20meq, Sea Salt 1.75tsp

My Log: http://tinyurl.com/pvgjmb

My Blog: http://hyporainbow.wordpress.com--- In RT3_T3 , " lizdoubleu " wrote:

>

> Hi Rainbo

> I just found my previous iron results from arond 4 months prior to the test I posted and everything was normal. Previous test before supplementing was:

> > Total iron was 103 (40-175)

> IBC 331 (250-450)

> saturation was 31

> ferritin 21

> > So I wonder if it was simply the supplementation or a mistake?

> Thanks for looking at these everyone!

> Liz

I agree with Birrdyy that this needs to be followed up on. Do you have any older iron lab results that these could be compared to? And how long ago were these latest ones taken?

~Rainbow~

29 year old Female 5'6 " 130lbs

Dx: Hashi's, AF, Wheat Sensitivity

Rx/OTC: Cynomel 37.5mcg, HC 27.5mg, Potassium Cl 20meq, Sea Salt 1.75tsp

My Log: http://tinyurl.com/pvgjmb

My Blog: http://hyporainbow.wordpress.com--- In RT3_T3 , birrdyy wrote:

>

> Those don't look to good. I don't know that the raisins would have such an

> effect. Have you tested for hemochromotosis? I think you need to follow up

> with this. See, even when ferritan is to low for us, we need to make sure

> iron isn't to high.

> >

> > > Hi Rainbo

> > Here are the lab results I mentioned. I did fast but I am not sure about

> > the foods. I didn't really think of that and it is possible I may have had

> > raisins and things the day before the test.

> > TIBC 288 (250-450)

> > UIBC 75 LOW (150-375)

> > serum iron 213 HIGH (35-155)

> > iron sautration 74 HIGH (15-55)

> > ferritin 59

Liz,From the links posted, it's my understanding that iron avidity only applies to people with hemochromatosis. Have you been diagnosed that disease?

I'm pretty sure that stopping iron supps two days before testing would keep it from affecting your test results. But you also have to avoid high-iron foods the day before the test, and do the test fasting first thing in the morning. Is that how you did it?

When one set of test results is confusing, it can sometimes be helpful to test again and compare results.~Rainbow~

29 year old Female 5'6 " 130lbs

Dx: Hashi's, AF, Wheat Sensitivity

Rx/OTC: Cynomel 37.5mcg, HC 27.5mg, Potassium Cl 20meq, Sea Salt 1.75tsp

My Log: http://tinyurl.com/pvgjmb

My Blog: http://hyporainbow.wordpress.com--- In RT3_T3 , " lizdoubleu " wrote:

>

> Iron avidity. I have never heard the term before, but I guess this is my problem as well.

> My saturation percentage was really high on my last serum test. I still wonder if I didn't stop supplementing early enough. I stopped my supplements two days before the test, so I don't know if it was the supplements messing with numbers.

> So do we supplement or not?? This is very confusing

> Liz

Please keep us updated as to what your specialist says. I don't have much trust left for doctors either, but hopefully this one will know their stuff.Would you mind telling me how old you are? And how did you get your doctor to run the HH gene test? Without the family history, none of my docs take the possibility seriously. Maybe I'll just pay for it out of pocket one of these days.

~Rainbow~29 year old Female 5'6 " 130lbsDx: Hashi's, AF, Wheat SensitivityRx/OTC: Cynomel 37.5mcg, HC 27.5mg, Potassium Cl 20meq, Sea Salt 1.75tsp

My Log: http://tinyurl.com/pvgjmbMy Blog: http://hyporainbow.wordpress.com

>> How did they know you had iron overload disease? Were your iron levels high and ferritin low? This is how my levels came out after the last blood test. I was supplemnting a lot of iron at the time so I don't know if I can still supplement or not. I don't know if it was just from the supplements still in my system after 2 days.

> My doctor said that you cannot have iron overload disease with low ferritin. Is this not true?> It is really confusing.> Liz W>

[Guest guest]

> By your CBC (Red blood cells etc) and by an iron panel.

> > How did you know you were anemic?

I am not so sure the CBC is helpful here. CBC can be normal while ferritin is

low. The body will drain iron reserves in order to provide enough iron to make

hemoglobin for oxygen transport because it is essential to life. Other systems

will have to wait, Hemoglobin gets dibs on available iron.

Dorothy

[Guest guest]

Where should the RBC count be at?

CLaudene

> > > > >

> > > > > Hi Birdy

> > > > > Yep I was the one with the really high iron. I did get the ferritin

> > up to

> > > > 59, so it did raise a bit from 21, but of course so did everything

> > else,

> > > > hence the high iron numbers!

> > > > > I was taking around 200 mg of iron a day split into a few doses. At

> > the

> > > > time I thought that was why I had the RT3 problem (still might have

> > been the

> > > > reason).

> > > > > It is hard to know if I should supplement at all now.

> > > > > Liz W

> > > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > > > ------------------------------------

> > > >

> > > >